Electric-railway conduit



P. P. BANHOLZER. ELECTRIC RAILWAY GONDUIT.

(No Model.)

Patented Apr. 17, 1894.

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THE NATIONAL LITHOGRAPHING nomumr.

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' PAUL P. BANHOLZER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY CONDUIT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 518,540, dated April 17, 1894.

Application filedNovemher 16, 1893. Serial No. 491,103.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, PAUL P. BANI-IOLZER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ElectricRailways; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

This invention relates to electric railways and has special reference to that class of the same which include an underground conduit between the tracks and level with the surface of the street, and consists essentially of a novel form of conduit or tube, open at the top and having a non conducting plastic substance therein for holding and confiningconductors for conveying the current which are .fed by wires from a generator, and a transmitter for translating the current from the conductors to the motor.

The principal objects and advantages of the invention are to transform metallic tubes already in existence and use in electric conduits by filling them in with concrete material and cement, either one or both combined, or othernon-conducting material adapted for the purpose to prevent them from becoming rusted through and through and make them available for the purpose for a great length of time, by the addition of conductors, it not being necessary to disturb the conduits or road bed to make the changes, as the cement and non -conducting material may be poured thereinto in a plastic condition andthe conductorslocated therein before said cement and non-conducting material has become entirely hardened; further, in avoiding a dependency upon some mechanical action for contact with the current; and further, having all the parts rigid so that nothing can get out of order.

Other advantages will become apparent from time to time to those using the device,

and it will be understood that many changes could be made and substituted for those shown and described hereinafter, so long as they are within the scope of the invention.

In the drawingsz Figure 1 is a sectional view ofa conduit embodying theinvention and showingit in position between tracks. Fig. 2

(No modeL) is a similar viewof the conduit, together with the brushes and their support, showing the man nerof inserting the non-conducting material therein. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a slight modification in the construction and arrangement of the parts. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the use and form of the brushes.

1 Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the conduit which is made in sections and bolted together end for end, as shown at 2 in Fig. 1, and has formed in the upper portion thereof openings 3, through which the non-conducting filling 4: is introduced while in a plastic condition and said material may consist of asbestos cement, concrete together with glass, terra cotta, common cement or other material. The openings 3 may be placed at other points on the surface of the conduit and in inserting the filling, it is pressed through the said holes or openings till the mass protrudes when it is surfaced exteriorly and shaped interiorly to the proper form. When the masses harden or become set they cleat together and cannot come apart. Before the mass becomes hard, metallic conductors 5 are placed along the sides and in the bottom, if so desired, said conductors being formed of bars or strips of steel or copper and carry the current in the conduit, being fed by suitable wires, which are charged from a dynamo or other generator. The outer surfaces of the said conductors, or those surfaces thereof which engage the hardened material are formed with prongs 6, which serve as barbs to hold the said conductors in position within the cement or non-conducting material. The wires which feed the conductors, connect them together by being attached to each strip once and when one section or segment becomes dis-arranged it does not interfere with the other sections of the line.

In connection with the conductors, transmitters 7 are employed, which consists of sets of metal brushes for collectingthe current from the conductors in the channel of the conduit and conveyingit to the motor through the opening in the said conduit. The said brushes are rigidly supported and one set opcrates against each conductor, When the brushes becomecharged the current passes from the positive to thenegative after it has passedthroughthe motor andto sustain the brushes in rigid position, hangersS are employed, The current passes from thebr'ushes to the carin insulated wires 9, which pass upwardly through and inside'of the hangers to prevent leakage against the conduit or tube.

Itwill be observed-that leakages cannot occur, as the conductors are, set on the sides and the conduits are drained, and should a leakage occur inithe conduit it cannot cn danger life anymore than therail does that isused for thereturn current. When one part of the conduit becomes disarranged or unconnected, it can be taken out and re placed without interfering with the line.

The construction as herein set forth is eco-- nomicaL'as it may be applied to any railway without interfering with the road bed or removing tracks, by making the tubes the size and shapetoconform to the road-bed.

In Fig. 8, the sections of the conduit are shown connected longitudinally, as at 10 and the conductors are arranged on the sides only.

The manner of filling the conduit or pipe, as hereinbefore set forth, can also be in like manner employed-in connection with ordinary pipes used in water-mains orffor similar purposes to thereby strengthen the same and 2 r I a a e obviate internalcorrosionand also toiprevent the metalthereof from being attacked by ma terial which may pass therethrougho M Having thusrdescribed the invention, what is claimed asnew is- 1. In an" underground trolley system, the i of conductors arranged in the said conduit,

said conductors scribed, i 7

,- 2. The herein described conductor for uning a series ofprongs on one face toia-nchor the platein a plastic material, substantially as set forth, V f

3 The conduit or pipe herein set forthhaw ing perforations or openings therein and], a

iplasticmaterialinserted in said opening to the inner surface-of the'pipe and flush with f the outer surface of the pipe in the said open ingsubstantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of twosubscribing Witnesses. I i i p PAUL P, BANHOLZER Witnesses: a I GEOLB. TRQXELL,

WM. H, BARRETT. p I

p 45 der ground systems, composed of a plate hav 

